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Bill Lee

I’m going to be honest with you, this survey is probably my favorite. Not because Lee pitched for the Red Sox or because his answers are so great, but because it is exactly what I would have expected to receive from the Spaceman.

While perhaps known more his antics, Lee was actually a very good pitcher for Boston and the Montreal Expos during a 14-year career that spanned from 1969-1982. He won 17 games a year for the Red Sox from 1973-1975, earning an All-Star Game appearance in 1973 in the process. Lee was part of Boston’s 1975 World Series rotation. He started Games 2 and 7 in the Series. The Sox won his first start, although he did not earn the victory. They lost the seventh game, but Lee threw 6 and 1/3 innings and left with the game tied. Lee’s 17-9 record in 1975, coupled with his 3.95 ERA and 17 complete games were good enough to get him MVP votes following the season.

Lee left Boston and joined the Expos in 1979. He went 16-10 with a 3.04 ERA for Montreal that year. It was his last year pitching primarily as a starter. He had two more full seasons with the Expos before appearing in just seven games in 1982 and calling it quits. Lee’s career record was 119-90 with a 3.62 ERA.

I will not delve into Lee’s off field anecdotes here, but there are many. If you are interested, he has written four books, many of which talk about his time in the big leagues. His autobiography, The Wrong Stuff, is a great place to start. This brings me back to his questionnaire. I suppose I have made you wait long enough. So, here it is.

Real sweat! Because he’s mowing the lawn! I am just glad the sweat stain showed up on the scan. I told you. It is too perfect.